Bill Text: VA HR716 | 2021 | 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending doctors of optometry in Virginia.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-08-03 - Bill text as passed House (HR716ER) [HR716 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-HR716-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, doctors of optometry in Virginia make vital contributions to their communities as frontline health care providers who evaluate, diagnose, and treat the eye and promote vision health; and
WHEREAS, doctors of optometry deliver an essential component of a patient's overall primary health and provide more than two-thirds of primary eye health care; and
WHEREAS, doctors of optometry are highly trained specialists who receive a four-year doctoral degree with more than 10,000 hours of education and training; and
WHEREAS, the scope of optometric practice has evolved for the past 40 years commensurate with the increased levels of training and education for doctors of optometry, including the use of diagnostic, therapeutic agents, and in-office procedures; and
WHEREAS, doctors of optometry are equipped to diagnose and treat more than 270 systemic diseases; and
WHEREAS, Virginia's doctors of optometry were designated as essential health care providers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and treated countless eye urgencies and emergencies through in-office treatment procedures and prescription medicine management over the course of the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, doctors of optometry throughout Virginia have worked diligently to educate members of the public on the importance of regular preventative primary eye care services to preserve the gift of sight for a lifetime; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That doctors of optometry in Virginia hereby be commended for playing a critical role in health, wellness, and systemic disease diagnosis for Virginians and for their diligence in treating eye urgencies and emergencies in a safe and effective manner during the COVID-19 pandemic; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Optometric Association on behalf of all doctors of optometry in Virginia as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for their achievements in service to the residents of the Commonwealth.
